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writingwwolves's review
4.0
Although this book wasn't perfect, I did really enjoy it. I loved the sarcasm & the sense of humour that was laced into the story throughout & I found the topics/themes interesting to read about. The writing & certain characters really make you think about stuff & the story definitely evoked some emotion in me.
I 100% think that book is definitely worth reading, but you've got to have quite a dry sense of humour (in my opinion) to really get it. My rating is probably a 3.5, rather than 4.
Extended Blog Review: https://wp.me/p8MbIo-2aq
I 100% think that book is definitely worth reading, but you've got to have quite a dry sense of humour (in my opinion) to really get it. My rating is probably a 3.5, rather than 4.
Extended Blog Review: https://wp.me/p8MbIo-2aq
inkedbookdragon's review against another edition
3.0
https://inkedbookdragon.blogspot.com
I am reviewing The Temptation of Adam by Dave Connis. I received a free digital copy of it from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes that may appear below are from the text and are not my words.
We all have vices. It is part of being human. Anyone that claims to not have a vice of some form is a liar or is completely delusional. This book takes a good look at vices and how they can control people. Some vices even destroy your life. In Adam's case, they can get you thrown out of school and forced into therapy.
I am rating this book Three Stars because I could not relate to the main character and that was a serious problem for me. I wish that I could give it a higher rating but I just could not truly connect with it. I am not saying that I don't have vices. I drink more coffee than most people can even fathom. I read more books in a year than many would read in their lifetime. I may reread this book at a later time. I am intrigued as to what the author will write next. He definitely has potential.
InkedBookDragon
I am reviewing The Temptation of Adam by Dave Connis. I received a free digital copy of it from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes that may appear below are from the text and are not my words.
We all have vices. It is part of being human. Anyone that claims to not have a vice of some form is a liar or is completely delusional. This book takes a good look at vices and how they can control people. Some vices even destroy your life. In Adam's case, they can get you thrown out of school and forced into therapy.
I am rating this book Three Stars because I could not relate to the main character and that was a serious problem for me. I wish that I could give it a higher rating but I just could not truly connect with it. I am not saying that I don't have vices. I drink more coffee than most people can even fathom. I read more books in a year than many would read in their lifetime. I may reread this book at a later time. I am intrigued as to what the author will write next. He definitely has potential.
InkedBookDragon
vickycbooks's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars
Adam Hawthorne has a porn addiction, and things aren't so hot for him right now. His dad is more absorbed in getting his mom back than he is taking care of his son and his sister abandoned him to live with his mom in LA.
Someone discovers his addiction, and he's forced to join the Knights of Vice support group, and the people there start to slip through his defenses, especially one girl who's beginning to unravel him.
Now Adam has to face the causes and effects of his addiction, before he loses his new friends, his prodigal sister, and his almost semi-sort-of girlfriend.
Although this book is on the lower end of 200-something pages, it felt a lot longer. This wasn't necessarily a good or bad thing because there were parts I did and didn't like.
The Temptation of Adam is a novel about addiction and finding yourself--what are you? You read about the journey of the protagonist Adam.
I think there were a lot of valuable messages in this book and it made me think a lot about what defines me and who we are. I don't think I'll stop thinking about this for a few days, and I liked how this had a meaningful impact on me.
But the plot just felt kind of chaotic to me at times. In retrospect, it seemed structured very much like a contemporary, but as I read it, it kind of felt all over the place because sometimes he was happy and other times he itched to watch porn and other times he was something else. With this, the pacing jumped from slower at times to almost frantic at others.
It was kind of a maintained mess, and I can definitely see how it added to the narrative of Adam's struggles, but it made me stressed at times as I read it.
The characters were a diverse set of people with multiple types of struggles. The female main character is Dez, and she's addicted to addiction and cycles though different things every so often.
Both Adam and his love interest Dez were developed well into complex characters, but I did feel like some of the other Knights of Vice and characters could have been developed further. Most of them affected Adam's dynamic and his character growth greatly throughout the novel, but I felt like we could have learned more about their own struggles as they don't seem to struggle as much as some of the other people did.
I did enjoy reading this book in the times when I wasn't stressed--there were cute quirks to the narrative like how Adam made mental equations about life.
I definitely think some people will really love this book as it is a realistic display of addiction. Although I had a hard time relating to it, I think it could have a very profound effect on other people.
Thank you to NetGalley and Sky Pony Press for providing me with a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review!
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Adam Hawthorne has a porn addiction, and things aren't so hot for him right now. His dad is more absorbed in getting his mom back than he is taking care of his son and his sister abandoned him to live with his mom in LA.
Someone discovers his addiction, and he's forced to join the Knights of Vice support group, and the people there start to slip through his defenses, especially one girl who's beginning to unravel him.
Now Adam has to face the causes and effects of his addiction, before he loses his new friends, his prodigal sister, and his almost semi-sort-of girlfriend.
Although this book is on the lower end of 200-something pages, it felt a lot longer. This wasn't necessarily a good or bad thing because there were parts I did and didn't like.
The Temptation of Adam is a novel about addiction and finding yourself--what are you? You read about the journey of the protagonist Adam.
I think there were a lot of valuable messages in this book and it made me think a lot about what defines me and who we are. I don't think I'll stop thinking about this for a few days, and I liked how this had a meaningful impact on me.
But the plot just felt kind of chaotic to me at times. In retrospect, it seemed structured very much like a contemporary, but as I read it, it kind of felt all over the place because sometimes he was happy and other times he itched to watch porn and other times he was something else. With this, the pacing jumped from slower at times to almost frantic at others.
It was kind of a maintained mess, and I can definitely see how it added to the narrative of Adam's struggles, but it made me stressed at times as I read it.
The characters were a diverse set of people with multiple types of struggles. The female main character is Dez, and she's addicted to addiction and cycles though different things every so often.
Both Adam and his love interest Dez were developed well into complex characters, but I did feel like some of the other Knights of Vice and characters could have been developed further. Most of them affected Adam's dynamic and his character growth greatly throughout the novel, but I felt like we could have learned more about their own struggles as they don't seem to struggle as much as some of the other people did.
I did enjoy reading this book in the times when I wasn't stressed--there were cute quirks to the narrative like how Adam made mental equations about life.
I definitely think some people will really love this book as it is a realistic display of addiction. Although I had a hard time relating to it, I think it could have a very profound effect on other people.
Thank you to NetGalley and Sky Pony Press for providing me with a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review!
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charmolepe's review against another edition
4.0
I got an eARC of this book a while ago in exchange for an honest opinion and I'm so happy that I got to read it.
The Temptation of Adam is about a 16-year-old who gets into trouble at school and is suspended and put in an AA program by one of his school teachers to fight his porn addiction. The story is about Adam overcoming his addiction as well coping with his mother and his sisters leaving and his father's absence from his life ever since the departure of his mother.
I have to say that at the beginning of this book I found it a little weird and I was a little confused but as the story went I started to really enjoy it. It's very well written and is a unique story about not addiction and family and friendship. It had a very nice view concerning hardcore stuff such as addiction which is almost never talked about in YA as well as racism and there are a few lighthearted comments about sexism thrown in as well every now and then. Very eye-opening and it got me very emotional by the end.
The characters are all awesome. Dez, for one, is my absolute favorite in this book. She's very quirky and melodramatic and may not be everyone's cup of tea but she definitely was mine. She is described as the typical perfect American girl who comes from a rich, white family and hates it thus tries to rebel against it which is not all that unusual in YA but for some reason, she fits very well with the story. She is so well written and I couldn't help but love her.
Another character that I loved was Adams older sister, Addy who was the perfect older, chill sister that Adam needed. My only problem with her was how she kept calling Adam "Papi", it just felt a little weird coming from an older sister to her younger brother, especially since they weren't actually Hispanics.
The diversity is very nice in this book as well. It is a mix between a journey story and a character driven one and it shed light on many important things. Porn addiction may sound a little silly at first, it definitely did to me at first but that's what's so great about this book, it shows you that problems exist in many forms and it's okay to feel weakened by them and seek help. One thing I loved was Dez' insistence on highlighting the fact that love is not a cure for addiction or any mental illness which felt like it was a refreshing contradiction to all the romanticizing of mental illnesses going around in YA recently.
One problem that I had with this book though was that it felt like it was an amalgamation of every John Green book ever written. Dez and Adam's characters reminded me a lot of previous characters of his and Dez' love for reading first and last lines of books instead of reading the whole book reminded me too much of [b:Looking for Alaska|99561|Looking for Alaska|John Green|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1394798630s/99561.jpg|919292]. That aside, it was a very lovely read and I'm very happy to have picked it up and I'm excited to see more books from Dave Conis.
The Temptation of Adam is about a 16-year-old who gets into trouble at school and is suspended and put in an AA program by one of his school teachers to fight his porn addiction. The story is about Adam overcoming his addiction as well coping with his mother and his sisters leaving and his father's absence from his life ever since the departure of his mother.
I have to say that at the beginning of this book I found it a little weird and I was a little confused but as the story went I started to really enjoy it. It's very well written and is a unique story about not addiction and family and friendship. It had a very nice view concerning hardcore stuff such as addiction which is almost never talked about in YA as well as racism and there are a few lighthearted comments about sexism thrown in as well every now and then. Very eye-opening and it got me very emotional by the end.
The characters are all awesome. Dez, for one, is my absolute favorite in this book. She's very quirky and melodramatic and may not be everyone's cup of tea but she definitely was mine. She is described as the typical perfect American girl who comes from a rich, white family and hates it thus tries to rebel against it which is not all that unusual in YA but for some reason, she fits very well with the story. She is so well written and I couldn't help but love her.
Another character that I loved was Adams older sister, Addy who was the perfect older, chill sister that Adam needed. My only problem with her was how she kept calling Adam "Papi", it just felt a little weird coming from an older sister to her younger brother, especially since they weren't actually Hispanics.
The diversity is very nice in this book as well. It is a mix between a journey story and a character driven one and it shed light on many important things. Porn addiction may sound a little silly at first, it definitely did to me at first but that's what's so great about this book, it shows you that problems exist in many forms and it's okay to feel weakened by them and seek help. One thing I loved was Dez' insistence on highlighting the fact that love is not a cure for addiction or any mental illness which felt like it was a refreshing contradiction to all the romanticizing of mental illnesses going around in YA recently.
One problem that I had with this book though was that it felt like it was an amalgamation of every John Green book ever written. Dez and Adam's characters reminded me a lot of previous characters of his and Dez' love for reading first and last lines of books instead of reading the whole book reminded me too much of [b:Looking for Alaska|99561|Looking for Alaska|John Green|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1394798630s/99561.jpg|919292]. That aside, it was a very lovely read and I'm very happy to have picked it up and I'm excited to see more books from Dave Conis.
zellian's review against another edition
3.0
This is one of the recommendations I had given with a book pool I am in, a book that interested me by the name and also cover.
Adam has an addiction, but he doesn't think it's an addiction and actually he's adamant that he doesn't. After an incident with the Anti-Adam Order (AAO) he is suspended from school and has an arrangement made with his Chemistry Teacher and Rival Mr Cratcher (But Adam prefers the name Mr Crotcher). An Eighty Day suspension where Adam must meet his rival at 5am, go to meetings with an Addiction Group called Knights of Vice, as well as attend regular community meetings as well. But, if he didn't he wouldn't have met the strangely alluring Dez. Fellow addict and keeper of Adam's heart.
The book centers around Adam as he deals with multiple issues that have led to him being suspended and placed into these programs. He deals with his parents divorce and his hatred for "The Woman" - his mother who left, his fathering being obsessed with Nicholas Sparks romances hoping they'll somehow help to win his ex-wife back but never being able to even acknowledge his son. His sister who chose their mother over him during the divorce and his addiction to pornography. Each one is slowly unraveled one by one as you go through, like the stages of grief Adam travels through all the steps as he comes to terms with things.
There isn't much at all I felt I could fault the book on outside of just personal preference. I enjoyed reading this over the days I had this out from our local e-library and would recommend this to a older teen audience just due to some of the references.
Adam has an addiction, but he doesn't think it's an addiction and actually he's adamant that he doesn't. After an incident with the Anti-Adam Order (AAO) he is suspended from school and has an arrangement made with his Chemistry Teacher and Rival Mr Cratcher (But Adam prefers the name Mr Crotcher). An Eighty Day suspension where Adam must meet his rival at 5am, go to meetings with an Addiction Group called Knights of Vice, as well as attend regular community meetings as well. But, if he didn't he wouldn't have met the strangely alluring Dez. Fellow addict and keeper of Adam's heart.
The book centers around Adam as he deals with multiple issues that have led to him being suspended and placed into these programs. He deals with his parents divorce and his hatred for "The Woman" - his mother who left, his fathering being obsessed with Nicholas Sparks romances hoping they'll somehow help to win his ex-wife back but never being able to even acknowledge his son. His sister who chose their mother over him during the divorce and his addiction to pornography. Each one is slowly unraveled one by one as you go through, like the stages of grief Adam travels through all the steps as he comes to terms with things.
There isn't much at all I felt I could fault the book on outside of just personal preference. I enjoyed reading this over the days I had this out from our local e-library and would recommend this to a older teen audience just due to some of the references.
caitgreatcaf's review against another edition
2.0
This was so close to being a good book. The component parts were there: teens with various problems try to make themselves better, an older mentor, road trips, family, milkshakes. But everything was just tilted sideways. Nothing ever felt authentically part of the story; it was contrived. And there was a lot of emotional whiplash from all the curveballs the arc of the story threw. I did finish it, but I ended up skimming what I'm sure were supposed to be meaningful passages on the nature of life and love and addiction because the purple prose was hiding any meaning that might have been lurking.
qtdede's review against another edition
3.0
The Temptation of Adam by Dave Connis follows a boy named Adam who’s addicted to porn. He denies his addiction, but once it gets him into trouble at school, he’s forced to confront his actions by attending AA meetings.
When I read the synopsis of this book, I knew I wanted to read it. Imagine my excitement after finding it on NetGalley. Now, I did enjoy reading it, but it fell a little flat. I gave 3/5 stars.
The reason this book fell short had nothing to do with it being bad by any means. It just failed to grasp me the way it should have. I couldn’t connect with the characters or the story. I feel like this could’ve been improved if more was happening and more time was spent with the characters.
This book does contain swearing and brief discussions surrounding porn, sex, drugs, alcohol, and death, so keep that in mind before picking it up.
Despite the flaws I just mentioned, this book had its redeeming qualities. It was worth the read for me. I had a good time reading it. It was easy to read. I didn’t have to go back and reread any sections to understand it. And it discussed topics that aren’t normally seen in YA.
I would recommend this book to fans of JD Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye and fans of John Green’s Looking for Alaska.
Special thanks to NetGalley for sending this book my way.
When I read the synopsis of this book, I knew I wanted to read it. Imagine my excitement after finding it on NetGalley. Now, I did enjoy reading it, but it fell a little flat. I gave 3/5 stars.
The reason this book fell short had nothing to do with it being bad by any means. It just failed to grasp me the way it should have. I couldn’t connect with the characters or the story. I feel like this could’ve been improved if more was happening and more time was spent with the characters.
This book does contain swearing and brief discussions surrounding porn, sex, drugs, alcohol, and death, so keep that in mind before picking it up.
Despite the flaws I just mentioned, this book had its redeeming qualities. It was worth the read for me. I had a good time reading it. It was easy to read. I didn’t have to go back and reread any sections to understand it. And it discussed topics that aren’t normally seen in YA.
I would recommend this book to fans of JD Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye and fans of John Green’s Looking for Alaska.
Special thanks to NetGalley for sending this book my way.
lifeamongpages's review
3.0
This book was weird. I almost DNF'd it a few times, except I was curious to see how things would go.
It was enjoyable, but I don't think I will read it again.
I liked the different portrayals of addiction and various coping mechanisms and then how loss affects everyone differently especially those suffering from mental and physical illnesses.
It was enjoyable, but I don't think I will read it again.
I liked the different portrayals of addiction and various coping mechanisms and then how loss affects everyone differently especially those suffering from mental and physical illnesses.
vannababes's review against another edition
DNF
I felt unconnected to this most of the time, like the love interest was meh. But I thought the original idea was interesting, but how it was written wasn't my cup of tea, I guess.
And the love interest was just not that great from what I was seeing.
I felt unconnected to this most of the time, like the love interest was meh. But I thought the original idea was interesting, but how it was written wasn't my cup of tea, I guess.
And the love interest was just not that great from what I was seeing.